Through Two Doors at Once
The Elegant Experiment That Captures the Enigma of Our Quantum Reality
By Anil Ananthaswamy | Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
About the book
The intellectual adventure story of the \"double-slit\" experiment, showing how a sunbeam split into two paths first challenged our understanding of light and then the nature of reality itself--and continues to almost two hundred years later.
Many of science's greatest minds have grappled with the simple yet elusive \"double-slit\" experiment. Thomas Young devised it in the early 1800s to show that light behaves like a wave, and in doing so opposed Isaac Newton. Nearly a century later, Albert Einstein showed that light comes in quanta, or particles, and the experiment became key to a fierce debate between Einstein and Niels Bohr over the nature of reality. Richard Feynman held that the double slit embodies the central mystery of the quantum world. Decade after decade, hypothesis after hypothesis, scientists have returned to this ingenious experiment to help them answer deeper and deeper questions about the fabric of the universe.
How can a single particle behave both like a particle and a wave? Does a particle exist before we look at it, or does the very act of looking create reality? Are there hidden aspects to reality missing from the orthodox view of quantum physics? Is there a place where the quantum world ends and the familiar classical world of our daily lives begins, and if so, can we find it? And if there's no such place, then does the universe split into two each time a particle goes through the double slit?
With his extraordinarily gifted eloquence, Anil Ananthaswamy travels around the world and through history, down to the smallest scales of physical reality we have yet fathomed. Through Two Doors at Once is the most fantastic voyage you can take.
Editions of Through Two Doors at Once
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781101986097
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781101986103
- EBook
- ISBN 9781101986110
- AudioStreaming
- ISBN 9780525594314
- AudioStreaming
- ISBN 9780525594321
Read an Excerpt
The intellectual adventure story of the \"double-slit\" experiment, showing how a sunbeam split into two paths first challenged our understanding of light and then the nature of reality itself--and continues to almost two hundred years later.
Many of science's greatest minds have grappled with the simple yet elusive \"double-slit\" experiment. Thomas Young devised it in the early 1800s to show that light behaves like a wave, and in doing so opposed Isaac Newton. Nearly a century later, Albert Einstein showed that light comes in quanta, or particles, and the experiment became key to a fierce debate between Einstein and Niels Bohr over the nature of reality. Richard Feynman held that the double slit embodies the central mystery of the quantum world. Decade after decade, hypothesis after hypothesis, scientists have returned to this ingenious experiment to help them answer deeper and deeper questions about the fabric of the universe.
How can a single particle behave both like a particle and a wave? Does a particle exist before we look at it, or does the very act of looking create reality? Are there hidden aspects to reality missing from the orthodox view of quantum physics? Is there a place where the quantum world ends and the familiar classical world of our daily lives begins, and if so, can we find it? And if there's no such place, then does the universe split into two each time a particle goes through the double slit?
With his extraordinarily gifted eloquence, Anil Ananthaswamy travels around the world and through history, down to the smallest scales of physical reality we have yet fathomed. Through Two Doors at Once is the most fantastic voyage you can take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Through Two Doors at Once about?
The intellectual adventure story of the \"double-slit\" experiment, showing how a sunbeam split into two paths first challenged our understanding of light and then the nature of reality itself--and continues to almost two hundred years later.
Many of science's greatest minds have grappled with the simple yet elusive \"double-slit\" experiment. Thomas Young devised it in the early 1800s to show that light behaves like a wave, and in doing so opposed Isaac Newton. Nearly a century later, Albert Einstein showed that light comes in quanta, or particles, and the experiment became key to a fierce debate between Einstein and Niels Bohr over the nature of reality. Richard Feynman held that the double slit embodies the central mystery of the quantum world. Decade after decade, hypothesis after hypothesis, scientists have returned to this ingenious experiment to help them answer deeper and deeper questions about the fabric of the universe.
How can a single particle behave both like a particle and a wave? Does a particle exist before we look at it, or does the very act of looking create reality? Are there hidden aspects to reality missing from the orthodox view of quantum physics? Is there a place where the quantum world ends and the familiar classical world of our daily lives begins, and if so, can we find it? And if there's no such place, then does the universe split into two each time a particle goes through the double slit?
With his extraordinarily gifted eloquence, Anil Ananthaswamy travels around the world and through history, down to the smallest scales of physical reality we have yet fathomed. Through Two Doors at Once is the most fantastic voyage you can take.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Through Two Doors at Once?
Mathematics and Science > Physics > Quantum physics (quantum mechanics and quantum field theory)
Where can I read a sample of Through Two Doors at Once?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781101986097
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Through Two Doors at Once?
Anil Ananthaswamy
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Through Two Doors at Once is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781101986097) and paperback(ISBN 9781101986103) and ebook(ISBN 9781101986110) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9780525594314) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9780525594321)
Where can I buy Through Two Doors at Once online or support local independent bookshops?
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Where can I buy Through Two Doors at Once?